State has no desire to seceed from Malaysia

I REALISE there’s been a lot of talk of late about Sarawak’s independence.

Being a parochial Sarawakian, I can understand the sentiments fully.

Let’s get things straight though. While the State has been pushing for greater autonomy, let’s not confuse this with calls for secession.

Our Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Adenan Satem has made it very clear that our desire for autonomy does not mean we wish to leave the Federation of Malaysia, which we formed way back in 1963. Yes let’s not forget that there would be no Malaysia if Sarawak had not formed it together with Sabah, Malaya and Singapore.

Adenan clearly stated that Sarawak would remain loyal to Malaysia and would not entertain secession demands from anyone.

“One of the reasons we want more autonomy is because we are now able to understand and manage our state better in certain areas,” he said.

And that’s the core of things. We are seeking greater autonomy because who better to handle things in our great State than Sarawakians.

I am not saying that we should reject the expertise of others, but where we are more qualified to judge the needs of the people, Sarawakians should be allowed to call the shots.

The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary clearly defines autonomy as: “the right of a group of people to govern itself, or to organise its own activities”.

According to the Collins COBUILD Dictionary: “Autonomy is the control or the government of a country, organisation, or group by itself rather than by others.”

Isn’t that exactly what Sarawakians want?

The story from Bernama:

Sarawak will not secede from Malaysia: Adenan

MIRI: Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem today dismissed what he said is a negative perception that the state’s demand for greater autonomy from the federal government is a sign that Sarawak wants to secede from Malaysia.

He said Sarawak would remain loyal to Malaysia and would not entertain secession demands from anyone.

“One of the reasons we want more autonomy is because we are now able to understand and manage our state better in certain areas,” he said when launching the RM26-million Sungai Sibuti Bridge project in Bekenu here.

Adenan said the state would seek from the federal government an additional RM500 million to upgrade the infrastructure for the over 5,000 villages in the state.

He said the upgrading would also cover roads, electricity and clean water supply. -BERNAMA